The Lowdown on Low-Cut: Salary's Dress Code Survey

Published 7:00 pm, Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Find Out the Revealing Results of Our Office Dress Code Survey

By Salary.com, Salary.com contributing writer.

We asked about office dress codes and boy did you answer. Loudly. Nearly 4,600 people responded to our survey and proved dress codes are, and always will be, a hot topic that gets fairly contentious in a hurry.

Dress codes---whether to have them, what clothing should be allowed/prohibited and how to implement them---will all vary depending on the atmosphere of the individual companies. A small beachside surf and skate shop will likely be more informal than three-piece suits worn by employees at a Fortune 500 company.

But whether your ideal job consists of T-shirt and jeans or strictly formal business wear, our survey results indicate people make assumptions about work ethic, intelligence and professionalism based on how others are dressed while at the office.

Many people who took our survey disagreed as to whether or not they like dress codes. Some feel it fosters professionalism and hard work, while others refuse to believe wearing jeans somehow detracts from your job performance.

But even though our respondents differed about dress codes in general, people on both sides agreed that uncertainty breeds confusion which can lead to serious problems. More than 3 percent surveyed said they're not even sure if they have a dress code. So whether or not a company implements a dress code is actually secondary to making it clearly understood and enforcing it fairly.

"I do not know of an official dress code at my company, rather it seems to depend on who your particular manager is, and even then is only selectively enforced," said one person. Another agreed and said "Our dress code is nonexistent and essentially established within each department. Some people are wearing suits and others flip-flops. It's very haphazard and gives an unprofessional image."

The majority of people who took the survey said they are satisfied with their company's dress code policy. But after that, the results are surprising.

Nearly one-quarter of respondents said the dress codes in their workplaces are too lenient. Readers regaled us with horror stories involving low cut tops, ripped jeans, sandals and exposed tattoos and body piercings they deemed inappropriate for an office setting. One respondent issued a cautionary tale and said "We let one instance go and then before we knew it, everyone was in flip-flops and stretch pants." And he wasn't alone in seeking strict wardrobe rules.

"I believe people who dress professionally tend to be more professional on the job," he said. "Dressing in jeans and a T-shirt does not exude professionalism, especially when you are seated in close proximity to an executive dressed in a suit."

If you've ever worked in an office setting, chances are you've dealt with at least one colleague who seems to have zero sense of decorum when it comes to appropriate dress. To that end, hundreds of people told us about employees wearing shirts sporting drugs, drinking and violence, skimpy mini-skirts, pajamas, revealing low-cut blouses and even some unorthodox body piercings.

Yet despite all the angst towards their dressed-down cohorts, only 14 percent of survey-takers have ever registered a formal complaint with human resources. Just more than 22 percent of people said they've really wanted to tattle, but haven't because of office favoritism (the one dressing inappropriately is the boss' pet, or IS the boss) and fear of creating a hostile work environment.

"I didn't complain because I didn't want to be 'That Person' and be viewed as nitpicking on this specific individual. And nobody listens anyways," said one respondent.

It turns out you may have reason to be paranoid, because they are watching. And judging too. While your office mates might not be diming you out to human resources for your shabby dress, they're watching closely and forming opinions. Not very flattering ones either.

The majority of respondents---56 percent---admitted they make assumptions about people at the office based on how they're dressed. While your kindergarten teacher told you not to judge a book by its cover, the cold reality of life in the modern workplace is a totally different animal. Here are comments from some of our survey-takers:

"I might think someone who is dressed down for work might not be that smart.""Men who are sloppy and women who show too much skin are viewed as junior.""I think when people are poorly dressed for work they come across as not being team players and as not having respect for the workplace."

Despite slightly conservative leanings when it comes to dress codes, the majority of respondents still value one day a week when they can dress down.

"Casual Friday gives employees a chance to be a bit more relaxed and it is great for morale," said one woman. Another man agreed and said "It is nice to feel like we get a break from the normal day-to-day constraints."

However, some people said casual dress should not be allowed on Fridays when there are meetings with executives, or for customer-facing employees. Furthermore, approximately 6 percent of people said "Casual Friday" is actually bad for the office environment.

"Shouldn't a company want to come across as professional as possible regardless of the day of the week?" said one respondent.

You've heard it all before. Older workers wearing shirts and ties complaining about the latest crop of recent college graduates wearing tennis shoes, showing off too much skin and dressing in outfits more suited to a nightclub than a cubicle. Kids these days!

Fifteen percent of younger workers between 18-25 believe their dress codes are too strict. That number falls precipitously for older workers, which isn't surprising considering the average age of our respondents is 45. Also, only 3 percent of workers 18-25 have reported a co-worker's inappropriate clothing to HR. That number rises steadily for older workers, maxing out at 21 percent for people age 56 and older.

One logical explanation is older people have been in the workplace longer. But our survey clearly shows an increase in age brings about a definite drop in tolerance for those who don't dress appropriately at work.

Everyone knows salary, benefits and potential for career advancement are just a few of the factors that determine whether or not candidates accept job offers. But according to our survey, job hunters are also looking very closely at dress codes when figuring out if they'll be a good fit.

More than half of those surveyed said a company's dress code is either very important or moderately important when it comes to accepting a job offer. That includes people on both sides of the dress code debate.

One person said he judges the productivity and seriousness of the company by how they handle the dress code, saying "A lax dress code reflects on the lax office work ethic." But another man said "If my potential future employer and co-workers are going to be more concerned about the kind of shoes I have or the suit I wear than the quality of my work, then I am much less inclined to want to accept a position there."

If left to create their own ideal dress codes, the vast majority of those surveyed said they would opt for business casual. Although the exact definition of that term varied from person to person, generally it was described as "dress slacks or 'nice' khaki pants, a tucked-in button-down shirt and no sneakers."

"People are more comfortable with casual and they will produce more and be more efficient," one man said. Another man agreed and said "Some companies put too much emphasis on the way a person dresses when they should be concentrating on how that person performs."

But 9 percent of those surveyed are still adamantly clinging to a strictly formal dress code in the office.

"A lady always wears hosiery," said one woman.

Workers probably can't do much to change an established company dress code one way or the other. But the one thing you do have control over is preparedness.

Ask about the dress code during your job interview. If you're the kind of person who swore he'd never wear a suit and tie to work every day, then a formal dress code is something you should know about up front. Not only that, asking about the dress code also gives you an idea of the company's atmosphere in which you'll be working.

But most of all, trust your gut. Take cues from your boss and your co-workers, don't look like a slob if you have to meet with a client or company executives and leave the Guns N' Roses Appetite for Destruction tour T-shirt at home. When it comes to dressing for work, a little common sense goes a long way.

No matter how you're dressed, if you're in an office that means you have a job. And if you're underpaid like most of us, it means you either need a raise or a career change. Salary.com can help with both.

The first thing you should do is research, so you're able to come to the table armed with the knowledge of what your job is worth. Use our free Salary Wizard below to find out what's a fair salary for your position. You can enter your location, education level, years of experience and more to find out an appropriate salary range before you negotiate.